Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/2/19
Happy New Year, Mane Landers! It’s a year that brings a lot in terms of soccer and I’m looking forward to experiencing all of it with you dear readers. There’s plenty to talk about today so let’s be about it.
Orlando Has Deal with Diego Contingent on Free Transfer
Orlando City has an agreement in principle in place with Brazilian midfielder Diego Ribas for a three-year contract. Currently playing for Flamengo, the Brazilian international has been linked with the Lions over the last couple of weeks and his talks for an extension with the Serie A side have broken down. Sources have told The Mane Land that Orlando is only interested if Flamengo allows him to leave on a free transfer. This is certainly something to keep an eye on during the coming days and The Mane Land will provide any updates as we receive them.
Key Soccer Dates for 2019
Soccer never stops and with that in mind the folks over at the MLS website have written up a soccer calendar chock full of all the important dates for the upcoming year. Some of the highlights include the MLS Player Combine, which starts tomorrow in Orlando, the NWSL College Draft and MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 10 and 11, respectively, the start of the new MLS season on March 2, and the start of the USL League One season on March 29. Other important dates to remember are the start of the NWSL season on April 13, the start of the Women’s World Cup on June 7, and the beginning of the Gold Cup on June 15.
Revs Reveal New Jersey
The New England Revolution have kicked off a process that is sure to only heat up over the coming weeks leading up to the start of the MLS season. Specifically, the Revs have released their new secondary jersey for the upcoming new season. New kit season is always a fun one and this year the Revs were the team that decided to get a head start on the rest of MLS in dropping their new jersey. It’ll be interesting to see what OCSC comes up with for its new kits, as things have stayed more or less consistent for Orlando’s jerseys since joining MLS four seasons ago.
MLS Roster Move Roundup
December was a hectic month for MLS transfers and if you’re feeling a bit out of the loop don’t worry, because ProSoccerUSA has you covered with a full roundup of all the moves that took place last month. Some specific highlights were Yoshimar Yotún’s departure and Orlando’s subsequent signing of Sebas Mendez, Toronto FC’s aquisition of Laurent Ciman, and FC Cincinnati nabbing Kendall Waston from the Vancouver Whitecaps, as well as Greg Garza from Atlanta United.
Free Kicks
- This came in after midnight so Sacha could mean tonight or tomorrow night but stay tuned to his Twitter feed if you want a shot at some stuff.
Cleaned out the garage today and found a few goodies. Gonna give away 3 pairs of cleats tomorrow night (2 brand new, 1 game used). Stay tuned.
— Sacha Kljestan (@SachaKljestan) January 2, 2019
Liga MX side Chivas has a lot of product placement during press conferences.
If you thought Nick Saban had too much product placement during Alabama Press Conferences, look at what Chivas Manager Jose Cardozo has to deal with. pic.twitter.com/TLnTQqPwFx
— Maximiliano Bretos (@mbretosESPN) August 16, 2018
- Kaká talked about how Cristiano Ronaldo once helped buy and distribute 15 phones for Real Madrid staff members
- Four Florida men are accused of trying to steal an entire truck full of Patron.
That’ll be all for me today. Keep an eye out for updates about the Combine tomorrow and of course next week’s NWSL and MLS drafts. Stay safe out there. Ciao.